Dr. Seuss on the iPhone has been largely reserved to interactive versions of some of the more beloved titles. While these virtual books are enjoyable and a great distraction for kids they are not the only trick up developer Oceanhouse Media sleeve. In addition to these books there are three games to mention; three games which add to the story or continue the tale. What do these games offer iPhone owners and their kids, let’s take a look.
Grinchmas! – The Grinch, first bad then good, loving Christmas and all its wonderful offerings. For those who see the Grinch a bad this is the game for you. Two play modes are offered in this snowball/present throwing romp. First is Mean Grinch where gamers throw snowballs at houses to quite the noise and second is the Merry Grinch mode where gamers are tasked with throwing like colored presents to the proper colored houses in a certain timeframe.
Both modes carry the same basic controls of using a finger to sling objects, but game concepts, objectives vary enough that they are different experiences. There are also three difficulty settings and a number of challenge modes so this is a game that kids will enjoy but adults will get addicted to when it comes to challenges. The sounds are just south of too annoying and bring to life the world of the Grinch. Recommended for both young and old, nice looking game.
Up with a Fish – The Cat in the Hat, what a great story and the game retains the frantic pace of the book. Gamers must catch various objects; stack them on top of each other, including the family fish. The more items stacked, the better the score. Watch out for Thing 1 and Thing 2 as they’ll smash all the stacked items.
Great use of the iPhone as the main controls have gamers tilting the phone to either side to catch objects and as speed picks up it gets pretty frantic especially when Thing 1 and Thing 2 make an appearance. The background music is ok but gets annoying after a few plays but the look is pure Dr. Seuss in every objects design. Sadly there is only one play mode and not much more. Recommended for the whole family but note the limited gameplay
Lorax Garden – When it comes to a sad yet hopeful ending nothing beats The Lorax. The book ends with just one Truffula tree seed left and this is where the game begins. Gamers need to plant and grow more Truffula trees, flowers and use them to repopulate the land. Pick the color, leaf shape, trunk shape for each tree while watering the plants, pulling weeds and getting rid of insects. It’s a plant growing simulation built around the world of the Lorax.
What a great game. This is The Lorax 2: The Growth as gamers and fans of the book finally get to re-grow the land the Onceler destroyed. Cultivating plants, picking how they look and sharing this with friends via postcard emails are a lot of fun. The art style carries on the heritage of the book while the sounds are soothing and perfect for the settings. The challenge ramps up as gamers move from level to level so this is a pony with many tricks. Recommended for older kids but also parents who love to grow plants.
So there you go, three games built around the works of Dr. Seuss. Up with a Fish is the most basic while Grinchmas! offers a deeper gameplay experience with challenges and it’s capped off with Lorax Garden which can be very addictive with deep gameplay built around re-growing the Lorax forest. Great games, all three, but not for every age, some are for you, some are for me.
